© Richard OlsenCorale Olsen, 9, suffered puncture wounds and bruising on her leg when she was bitten by a sea lion during surf camp.
Corale Olsen, 9, was out in the water at Asilomar State Beach during surf camp with her brother and sister when they saw a sea lion. Moments later, the animal lunged at Corale.
"It was right next to me, and I was like, 'Oh my gosh, something really bad is going to happen.' Then, it just bit me," the 9-year-old said. "It was pain, and I was screaming."
Corale's surf instructor, Alex De Marignac, says he had no reason to believe the sea lion was going to attack.
"I have surfed in these waters since I was about 6 years old. Never, ever seen something like that," he said.
It was the instructor's quick thinking that got the siblings to shore after Corale was bitten.
"I had two kids under each arm and one hanging off my neck, and, yeah, we all made it," De Marignac said.
Corale was immediately taken to the emergency room. The bite left behind puncture wounds and bruising on her leg.
"I was very worried, honestly. I was in the room, and I was worried. So, I was telling her to calm down," said Corale's sister, Skye Olsen.
The three siblings have spent their whole lives in the water - swimming, boogie boarding and now, surfing. Corale says she's not letting this incident stop her from getting back out there.
"If something happens, that doesn't mean that you can stop doing what you love," she said.
While sea lion bites are rare, they do happen. De Marignac says he thinks this incident may have been a case of the animal becoming territorial and wanting space.
"I think the rule of thumb is make sure to give animals their space. I think it's totally fine to be curious, but I'd say never get a better look by getting closer to the animal," he said.
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